Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus cuirim fáilte roimhe. What we are here to discuss is the remarkable turn of events in terms of the secondment process. So many elements of this secondment process were outliers in terms of best practice, accountability and adherence to procedures, protocols, etc. The background of this was the perception, at least amongst the public, of a culture of insiders when it came to the employment and recruitment of people for significant Government jobs. The Katherine Zappone affair also occurred around this time. What happened was incredible, and all the questions that exist in relation to the Minister's relationship with Robert Watt at the time, and now, are still very unusual.

I have a few questions for the Minister. The Secretary General was involved in discussions regarding a secondment from August 2021, and only told the Minister on 3 March 2022. That is a period of seven months of this significant issue being in play in terms of the work of the Secretary General. The Minister had seven months of meetings, briefings, coffees, lunches and even small talk with the Secretary General, yet this issue around the most high profile civil servant in the country in generations did not come up. How can the Minister expect people to believe that that did not come up in conversation?